Beneath These Scars
by Kazehana23
Summary: Truths revealed, lies uncovered and going back to one's roots after it has been lost for so many generations. Every culture has myths and legends how our very existence will end but sometimes we just wish they were just stories... This story has a comic version(Hiatus) posted up in my DeviantArt @ Kazehana23.
1. Prologue

_Long ago there once were two friends named Kei and Ira. Little did they know the paths they were about to take would shake existence to the very core._

_ Kei and Ira were very close and inseparable amongst their people. If one saw one of these friends they would instantly know the other was not far behind. These two enjoyed challenging one another with pranks and dares. They trained to improve their skills to be better fighters to become soldiers and integrate into their planet's army. Before either of them became of age to join the ranks of the army both continued their childish mischief and contests, and then one day Ira dared Kei to defeat all the fighters in the known galaxies. Kei accepted but he decided to make it into a contest of who defeated the most opponents._

_They Tied._

_ Time passed and soon they became the strongest warriors among the entire universe. As tradition for their home planet only the strongest could have their names changed and become members of the Elite Army. A battle was to be done between the friends in which it was to test who would become part of the Elite. Kei faltered for a moment in the idea of fighting his companion but Ira on the other hand wanted and reveled in the idea of Kei's imminent defeat. The battle was won and everyone was surprised that the mellowest of the two comrades had become the victor; Kei. Kei was given the name of Necalli, for his love of battle, personally by his leaders. It was a huge honor among soldiers to be given names by their leaders and so Kei (now known as Necalli) bore his new name with pride._

_ Ira grew envious as time flowed by like the silent rivers. His jealousy slowly clouded his mind and he began to crave power. Ira traveled throughout planets killing every being in sight. It did not matter to him if it was innocent women, men or even children. Hands tainted with blood of the innocent Ira became known as Etzli. Greed taking hold of his darkening heart, he began to feast on the souls of the murdered and losing his soul created a void within his essence that can never be filled with any amount of souls absorbed. Hating the emptiness inside Etzli quickly lost his sanity as he began to swallow the stars and suns among the galaxies bringing discord and threatening all of existence._

_ Necalli could not stand by and watch as Etzli consumed everything that once existed. So he went after Etzli before it was too late. He no longer recognized his crazed friend both physically and mentally. Pained by the sight of Etzli, he no longer had the choice to persuade his friend from stopping his rampage._

_Once friends now enemies._

_ As a final trial Necalli fought against Etzli tooth and nail. He began leading Etzli towards the capital of their home planet. With the help of his cat, Mamoru, Necalli managed to defeat Etzli. At the cost of his life Necalli sealed Etzli away deep with the ruins of their once glorious capital city ._

_ Centuries flowed peacefully by and the two enemies became legends and were known by many names. Time ticked away awaiting the two's final confrontation for the balance of the universe…_

* * *

_The end of the beginning,_

_A battle long forgotten._

_Once friends now enemies._

_Devourer of stars,_

_Shall return once more to the realm of the living_

_Shall swallow the galaxies_

_Guardian of souls_

_Will rise once more_

_Bringing destruction and renewal_

_(The Seeker of balance)_

_Shadow and Light_

_Once friends now enemies_

_Final Confrontation_

_Shall bring forth a new era_

_Uniting all universe_

* * *

**A/N: Well I revised this chapter people since it really needed to be done. It had a few word missing here and there, don't worry people chapter one will be coming out soon I've just been really busy with stuff lately. And if you don't know about this being a manga/comic and want to check it out go to the link in my profile page here.**

_This work has been disclaimed and Invader Zim belongs to their rightful owners so there! Pity really that I don't own it..._


	2. Chapter 1: Numb

A lone figure moved slowly forward within the cold dark night. Numb from the events that occurred earlier as each step felt like lead. Zim could no longer feel the pain from the acidic rain that pelted his fragile green skin. Zim subconsciously lifted his left hand to clutch his bleeding arm. His mind was deep in thoughts that never would have occurred to him in a lifetime.

It still felt like a dream.

Nothing but a distant dream but Zim knew better. It was all too real to have been a dream considering the amount of injuries he sustained.

He never saw the attack coming from behind on that late afternoon day….

**_-Flashback-_**

Zim walked proudly with Gir alongside him doing reconnaissance work on the human-stink beasts within the city. This time he had made sure his S.I.R. Unit had the guidance chip installed and jet legs free of tuna as to avoid another nightmarish fiasco. Just thinking about it made Zim shiver in disgust as Gir's paws squeaked excitedly smelling the hypnotic taco shop nearby. Unbeknownst to Zim in his blissful ignorance he was being watched by two shadowy figures that were perched on top of a building. As he walked along they silently followed like his very own shadow.

"TAAACOOOS!"

"GIR!"

"Get back here!" Zim screamed chasing his hyperactive little robot after he lost his grip on Gir's leash. Suddenly he was punched to a nearby wall with a resounding crack and pain shot throughout his body at the unexpected ambush as bricks crumbled upon him. Removing the debris Zim slowly got up as to see who dared to touch his superior being. He looked around for any signs of this mysterious new enemy and his S.I.R. Unit.

"Come out of whatever hole you're hiding from," Zim hissed with pure venom in his voice as he continuously inspected his surroundings. "I know you're out there and now you've just invoked Zim's wrath. And I'm not going easy on you just to warn you."

Extending his spider legs out of his PAK readying himself for the upcoming battle Zim's head snapped at the direction where a maniacal laughter could be heard. A figure wearing a cloak came slowly out from the darkness as another smaller figure followed silently. Zim stared at the pair eyes glistening with hate as both dignitaries smirked at him.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Zim screamed at the two.

"We are—"

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"We are—"

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"We are—"

"WHO ARE—"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Yelled impatiently the taller of the two individuals. "As we were saying we are—"

Zim propelled himself forward cutting the enemy's sentence in an attempt to throw a fist at said adversary's hidden face but failed as the being dodged with the grace and agility of a feline. Zim landed hard creating a small crater that surrounded him. As the dust cleared Zim felt a foot connect with his head making him hit the ground once more leaving him stunned.

"They were right about a few things," growled the cloaked figure lifting Zim up by his shirt. "You're foolish and refuse to listen- even to reason. Although I'm surprised that you found out we weren't entirely human. "

"I thought _The Empire_ said he was small, very tiny thing." Stated the small individual glancing at the Irken, it was true Zim had grown to be five feet tall and would probably still continue to grow within the years to come. "Are you sure this is the correct target."

_'The Empire?_' Zim thought groggily.

"Positive." At that Zim was tossed away in a nearby abandoned building crashing through the glass in the process his donned disguise was forcefully removed exposing his black antennae. He remained motionless feeling nothing but the burning cuts and embedded glass throughout his back._ 'Why would the empire want to harm me, the mighty Zim?' He contemplated barely thinking straight 'I have to send a signal to Gir'_. He exerted a great deal of energy to sit up to ready the silent signal. He kept an eye out the broken window while attempting to hide himself from the strange creatures as they neared the edifice.

"Awe come on let me play with the Irken!"Chided the petite figure, "I want to have fun too Z'firi!"

The one named Z'firi looked at his young partner and replied, "Fine A'nalli but make it quick. They're waiting for our progress."

A'nalli grinned at Z'firi from under the cloak and sped towards the construction Zim was currently hidden. Looking around for any signs of life she removed her hood to reveal a cat-like face with elongated ears and three small spikes on top of her head. Her pupil-less green eyes moved towards the sound of a small gasp of pain. Her creamed colored fur tingled with happiness to find the prey had not left yet.

"Come out, come out wherever you are little Irken I know you're hiding." She spoke eerily soft.

This sent shivers down the Irken's spine knowing full well that he was in immediate danger. His body regenerated fast beyond any human standards but still healed slowly and he knew he couldn't take on any more continuous damage; he had to get away from them quickly and locate Gir. Suddenly he sensed someone from behind and jumped out of danger as another kick came down a few seconds later. Zim spun around and glowered at her as he geared up the lasers from his PAK legs and entered the offensive mode. He had enough of this foolishness and was not going to be outdone by some lower life forms! He began shooting at A'nalli who moved around dodging the red lasers. He became increasingly frustrated seeing that the lasers had little effect on a moving A'nalli who seemed to dance along with her own rhythm.

Zim propelled himself forward using a metal crate that was behind him as he withdrew his PAK legs readying himself for a hand to hand combat strategy. He began first by rapidly throwing punches at her forcing the female to move a few steps back as she blocked the strikes. A fist managed to collide at the strange feline's face tossing her. Before she could hit the floor Zim appeared and delivered a kick in hopes of knocking her unconscious but the kick wasn't enough to knock her senseless. She got up as if it was nothing but a slap to the face. Now it was his turn to back up thus impeding more damage to himself by using his forearms as shields. Zim opened his arm preparing for an oncoming kick. At the instance the attack made its way to his side he gripped the leg tightly and sent a palm strike directly to her chin thus leaving her dazed. Using the opportunity Zim spun around extending his sharp claws in the process and scratching A'nalli's chest. He'd be lying if he didn't say that he wasn't enjoying this battle. The sheer adrenaline that coursed through his veins pumping his squeedlyspooch and increasing his speed. Oh how he relished this long forgotten feeling of danger.

The deadly dance continued as kicks and punches were thrown. As Zim busied himself with attacking A'nalli he failed to notice Z'firi come from behind. Next thing he knew his face met the cold concrete floor as he heard a snap of bones break from behind. Zim would not give the enemy the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain but Irk did it _hurt_!

'_Where is that horrible robot when you need him?'_

"A'nalli enough of this, we must report back to The Empire." Z'firi said staring at her through stern eyes.

"Z'firi I want to keep playing with him a little longer!" A'nalli pouted as she crossed her arms angrily, "I was just getting started!"

"No, you know we must report back immediately A'nalli you can play with him later," Z'firi grunted as he placed a foot on top of the struggling Irken. "You know as well as I do that The Empire does not like to wait. We must report this new information of our target."

"Why just abandon our target when we literally have him within our grasp?" A'nalli stated bluntly pointing at the annoyed Irken on the bottom of his foot while Z'firi himself stared blankly at her.

"I-"

"Unhand Zim this instance!" He screeched and thrashed around despite the pain shooting through his spine and broken arm. Zim was barely able to move courtesy of Z'firi's foot._ 'Well at least they didn't rip off my PAK legs when they had the chance'_ Zim deadpanned about his current situation as he struggled. "Release Zim, pathetic meat sacks!"

Z'firi looked down at the wretched alien as he scoffed, "I wouldn't go around insulting your captors, Irken." He began to pull the alien's broken arm and stepped harder on the Pak causing the prideful Irken to whimper. He leaned close to Zim's face and whispered, "besides if anyone is pathetic here it's _you_."

"You will regret uttering those words stupid pig-weasel," He voiced his defiance to the enemy letting them know he would not break easily." You're not going to destroy this planet! Zim will be the one to conquer this worthless mudball planet not you! Once I unleash my full wrath you will_ beg_ for mercy."

Z'firi began to laugh at hearing those word come out from the alien's mouth," Your words amuse me Irken and here I thought Irkens didn't have a sense of humor. "

"I'll show you humor once I remove your organs and use them as a jump rope." He spat at the feline's face.

"My aren't we touchy?" Sneered the alien cat as he cleaned his face free of Irken spit and gave him a crazed look no matter how formal this creature was to him." It's to bad your own leaders disowned you and left you for dead, you would have made a fine soldier indeed if the circumstances were different, alas you're nothing more than a big disappointment in the end. Even your own precious S.I.R abandoned you in your greatest hour of need."

"LIES! You're making it up!" Zim screamed at the top of his squeedlyspooch. His rage grew hot within his very being as he heard the attackers cackling with glee. Z'firi kept laughing at the Irken's desperate denial and egged him on giving him a cold stare, "And you know it deep down don't you?"

"Augh!"

Then out of nowhere a cold, metallic fist met with the aggressor's face causing him a broken nose and to be thrown backwards. He got up and looked about for cause of the sudden physical contact as he held his bleeding nose. His eyes met with the strangest sight; a green dog with black paws. Something seemed odd about it as it stood up in its hindlegs that is until the thing removed its cover-up exposing a small child-sized metal figure. The android then took a battle stance, artificial optics glowing red, revealing weapons of every variety from machine guns to missile launchers.

"You are the enemy!" Came the robotic voice of Zim's ever faithful S.I.R Unit, Gir, in front of him. "Prepare to be terminated."

The invader was never more happier on seeing the little bot. Gir really did come through in a pinch. He grinned as he got up regardless of a broken arm and bleeding head injuries he received earlier. He psyched himself for one more round in order to keep the fatigue at bay. He took a battle stance and smirked "Not so tough now that I'm free fleabag? Now to unleash doom upon your _fffilthy_ head."

"Yay we get to keep playing with the Irken!" A'nalli cheered and danced at the prospect of another free-for-all.

"Well it seems we have a wild card but either way it doesn't matter." Z'firi turned to look at his excited partner. "A'nalli ready the plasma cannon, I'll be striffing this time with the Irken. I want you to destroy that robot."

"But the plasma cannon will take forever to start up and I won't be able to have fun. " She whined as she placed a silver alloyed glove on her hand and pressed a couple button sequences to activate the to her surprise the little metal being released two missiles from the top of his head forcing her to dodge and next thing she knew she was tackled to the ground.

"Looks like you found a new playmate A'nalli," he chuckled at her new predicament.

"Very funny!" She grunted as the robot did the most unexpected thing of embracing her torso with a crushing grip and claiming that she needed a hug. She grabbed the exposed antenna and flung him to the ground and stared at it wondering how the thing changed its mind from death threats to the sudden need of cuddling._ 'Is this thing bipolar?... I didn't know robots had feelings or whatever this is.'_

Z'firi turned to look back at his target like a piece of fresh kill ready to be ingested. They both circled around each other waiting to see who would make the first move. Zim launched forward only to be thrown back with such ease. He was still weak from earlier plus a broken arm helped no one in a life-or-death situation which this clearly classified as such. Breathing hard and dizzy Zim stood up once more, being a glutton for punishment, he hollered, "Is that the best you can do!"

Meanwhile Gir returned with vengeance giving A'nalli a hug of doom. The lack of air made her desperate that she even considered using the cannon at such a close proximity. Then she realized that the little android had slacked his hold on her, eyes switching between red and cyan colors, that gave A'nalli a window of opportunity to bolt away. Then she felt pain throughout her body as she was sent flying sky high. With little thought she spun in midair and aimed it at Gir as heat seeking missiles were released from his intricate inner workings.

Zim was so absorbed into Z'firi's sparring, constantly clashing with one another that neither desisted. In spite of his broken arm he held his ground with vigor, blocking with his uninjured one and sending a barrage of kicks in lieu of punches. As of now pain was his friend letting him know he was very much alive as he sent every hit towards the space cat. The feline alien caught an opening and spinned kicked him to the floor. Dazed, Zim weakly stood up gasping for much needed oxygen in his squeedlyspooch. He was curious as to how his minion was facing against A'nalli that he distracted himself from his own opponent temporarily only to witness something that will be burned into his memory for the years to come. The female alien had just discharged the plasma cannon shattering the S.I.R Unit into nothing but shrapnel and debris.

Zim froze.

Numb with feeling at first when he saw his servant destroyed in that instant. The cold feeling in his hands started to feel warmer and warmer as his rage boiled within his very being.

Then he lost.

"GRAAAAAAAAAHH"

Zim ran forward unleashing two Pak legs above his head blinded by infinite fury. Ignoring all physical pain that he no longer felt. Closing in on his enemies he brought the appendages in a downward stabbing motion all the while he swiped at them both with his claws. Unaware that his claws caused burns to their cloaks and fur. He had become a feral beast consumed by his own ire; eyes void of any other emotions. His mind was blank and thoughts would be completely foreign to him with the exception of one word-"DESTROY".

"Fall back A'nalli," Z'firi strained all the while he attempted to block Zim's incarnated animosity. "We are no longer in control of the situation. Send the signal for immediate pick up." And with that he kicked Zim in the abdomen flinging him towards a wall that cracked with his own weight. He panted at the sheer force that it took to shield them both from Zim's blitz.

"They're on their way Z'firi but I'm not sure if we're going to survive this with just minor cuts and bruises." A'nalli squeaked as she noticed Zim standing with glassy empty eyes fixated at them. Then he slowly shifted forward, each step heavier than the next, gaining speed for the continuation of the foray. Panicking, she fired the plasma cannon toward the Irken but all was for naught as his invisible protection absorbed the energy based attack. The volley suddenly regenerated and redirected at them. The older cat was stunned into silence, eyes wide staring deeply into the angered Irken's glowing blood red eyes as he continued moving forward. 'We're screwed!' Z'firi only thought as the plasma bullet neared both of the aliens. A'nalli got frightened and screamed as it missed by a hair's length- they have been teleported by their rescuers and disappeared into the sky.

Zim gave an un-Irken like roar that created a shockwave shattering all the windows in the rickety old building. Then he fell to his knees as he continued to scream for the loss of his only companion in this backwater planet. Had anyone heard the lamenting Irken they were wise enough to avoid the being and not get themselves killed.

**_-End of Flashback-_**

Zim was barely conscious when he arrived at his base. It took every ounce of energy he had left to open the door of the strange glowing green house. Overwhelmed with fatigue he collapsed on to the floor as his world darkened unknowingly what was to come.

* * *

Somewhere deep in space Irk's most prized possession, the Massive, one of the largest ships among the galaxies drifted lazily through the stars. It was built and designed by Vortians during Tallest Miyuki's reign and now assisted the current Tallests for their universal conquest, known as Impending Doom 2, now on its final stages.

Inside the flagship the two leaders sat drinking and relaxing as they monitored the last remaining planet. Impending Doom 2 would be coming to a close within an hour. The navigators worked diligently to satisfy their identical leaders. Every single movement was synchronized from the tiny spittle runners to the big Viral Tanks in preparations for an organic sweep.

"Isn't this the life Purple?" Red said as he drank a soda he held with a two-clawed hand. Tallest Red wore black and red armored royal garbs to match his blood red eyes. His co-ruler's attire was composed of the same materials with the exception of his color scheme consisting various shades of violets and purples to complement his amethyst eyes.

"You said it Red," Purple sighed happily looking at his co-ruler. "Hey Red?"

"Yeah?" His antennae twitched in annoyance at purple Tallest's voice.

"Can I tell him this year?" Purple chirped excitedly as he went back to sipping his own soft drink.

"Yeah sure it's not like he'll ever get it anyways." Red chuckled silently at the false invader's own stupidity.

* * *

Dazed and confused Zim woke up with his injuries tended to and finding his Pak attached to wires that connected him to the base. How he got there? He could only guess that it was Skoodge right before leaving for a new home somewhere else or so he told Zim. His home now felt empty and hollow without the constant giggling and screaming from Gir. His A.I. chip was unsalvageable, melted from the blast earlier, his only hope of Gir returning gone forever. Suddenly he heard beeping coming from the computer as it said:

_**"Incoming Transmission"**_

* * *

**A/n: Hey people o's I have finally updated after getting away from my writer's block(stupid block)! So questions and questions and more questions!**

**1) Who do you guys think those two characters were?**

**2) Where'd Skoodge go? Will he be back?**

**3) And more importantly what're the Tallest planning to say****?**

**On another note my comic/manga will be in hiatus for awhile but the written version shall continue!**

**Please Review!**


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